What Dave Loves: Part II (Television)

Dear Readers,

It's round two of "What Dave Loves." I've jazzed it up a bit by adding a neat-o banner at the top of these special edition blogs to give it some pizazz. This edition of "What Dave Loves" will be focused on my favorite television shows! This one took my enormous brain quite a bit longer to categorize because I truly love them all. Well, here it goes. If you don't like my choices, follow the following steps in order:

1. Stand up and walk towards the front door.
2. Remove all clothing, including underwear. *NOTE* If you are a female on her period, leave the underwear on.
3. Walk outside, fully nude, and continue walking until you are arrested by an officer of the law.

My favorite Television shows:
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10."Grey's Anatomy"- I have no problem putting this on my list because I have been watching 'Grey's' since it first starting airing. With the vast amount of doctor dramas, it is clear after watching a few episodes why this drama is unique and can provide season after season of good TV.
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9. "Weeds"- This is one of two Showtime series' that have made my list. It is hard for me to get into shows that are aired on subscription television channels because I refuse to buy them. I'm not going to say I watch episodes illegally online, instead I will say that I take advantage of websites that illegally post the episodes (BOOM...suck it lawsuits). I like weeds because it is not your average "stoner" series; it is a great story of a woman who took an unorthodox approach to maintaining her expensive life after the death of her wealthy husband.
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8. "SNL"- If you have not watched at least one episode of SNL, you are probably an illegal immigrant or a person who supports the Taliban. There is something to be said about a TV series running longer than my life and is still hilarious. My favorite part of the SNL following is that every five or so years there are people who claim that SNL isn't funny anymore since "insert name here" left. I think this is funny because even when Will Farrell was on it, people were saying that the show has lost its funniness; however now that he's off the show he is seen as one of the greatest skit comedians to ever grace his presence on the show. On a side note, I'm not feeling well...I think I have a fever. Anyone have any ideas of a prescription I could take?
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7. "House MD"- I didn't start getting into this series until early last summer and I have definitely made up for lost time. Like I said earlier, there are no shortage of medical shows out there, but I must say that House takes the cake. Between Greggory House's addiction to Vicodin and the never ending mystery diagnoses in every episode, House's storyline never misses a beat. On a side note (I LOVE SIDE NOTES), for the first month watching House, I was convinced that the character playing Greggory House was the same guy who played Stewart in MadTV. Maybe I'm wrong:

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6. "COPS"- What is better than seeing the scum of the Earth getting tackled, tazed, and arrested in front of your TV? Think about it, you see Police Officers all over the place and you may have had interactions with them from time-to-time, but watching this really gives you an in depth image of what they have to deal with daily. Next time you wonder why an officer is on guard when you get pulled over, think about this show.
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5. "The Office"- A BIG thank you goes out to my buddy, Kevin Perry, for introducing me to the mayhem that is this series. We've all seen documentaries where they take you behind the scenes of a company, but The Office takes this idea, magnifies it into a comedy, and does it brilliantly. I'm interested to see where this mocumentary will go after Steve Carell leaves!
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4. "Dexter"- Brilliant. One word describes this Showtime TV series. Again, I make great use of websites illegally providing episodes to enjoy it and I have no problem morally doing so. After the first episode, I was hooked. What makes Dexter intriguing is the fact that Dexter is an "average" acting person working for law enforcement who commits murders in a vigilante style in order to control his mental obsession with killing. In the wake of the second season, there have been reports of Americans inspired by him and replicating his murders, which is degrading the integrity of the program. It is no lie that everything depicted in the drama is easily relateable and it seems to show a step-by-step guide on getting away with murder, but it is JUST A TV SHOW! Get a grip.
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3. "Law and Order"- "In the criminal justice system, the people are represented by two separate yet equally important groups: the police who investigate crime and the district attorneys who prosecute the offenders. These are their stories." What a classic! This past summer, my roommate and I literally watched Law and Order and Law and Order: SVU non-stop. I believe we counted 45 episodes in a row throughout a few weeks that were not repeats! I don't have much more to say about it other than am addicted to it and will never stop watching as long as it is still syndicated on the 4,000 networks it already is on.
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2. "Family Guy"- When Family Guy first aired, it wasn't the hit it was today; in fact, many Simpsons fans pooped their pants, hit their wives, and yelled at FOX for the seemingly similar program they were creating. Even with the multiple cancellations, Family Guy hasn't missed a beat. What makes them different than The Simpsons is their cut-a-way scenes showing hilarious and relevant material that makes Family Guy unique. What I love is that creator, Seth MacFarlane, never sees a limit to his humor. Activists for certain groups have hated on the show for years, but the reason why FOX sticks with Family Guy is because the show brings in HUGE numbers, and more importantly, they don't make fun of just ONE group; they make jokes about every stereotype that the World has come up with. Keep going, Seth, and please please please keep making Meg feel like she has nothing going for her.
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1. "How I Met Your Mother"- Biiiiiiig surprise that I would pick HIMYM as my number one choice, right? The show follows Ted as he tells his children the story of how he met their mother. Seems pretty boring right? It is not and if you don't believe me, watch the damn show and then talk to me. If you know me at all, you know that I watch this show religiously and have even adopted a few of their "isms" to my every day life. For instance, my roommates and I have slap bets. What is a slap bet, you ask? Basically, you make a bet about something and the winner gets to slap the loser in the face at ANY TIME. Brilliant. There is so much more I could write about it, but I think I will end up writing an entire post about the God-like qualities of the show at a later date.

This concludes another edition of "What Dave Loves." I must say that categorizing these things are not easy at all; In fact, I'd like to provide some honorable mentions below:
1: The Colbert Report
2: The Daily Show
3: Sports Center
4: Talk Sex with Sue
5: Campus PD

Goodnight, Readers!

What Dave Loves: Part I (Movies)

Dear Readers,

I am launching my new series "What Dave Loves" which, over the next 2 weeks, will give you an idea of everything I love in the world. I know you don't care but I'm going to do it anyways because I do what I want. To kick it off, I'm going to start with my favorite movies of all time.

Side note:
If you spell it "favourite," I sincerely don't want you to continue
reading. I don't want your eyes polluting my BLOG. Seriously...Stop reading.

I realize there are amazing movies that didn't make my list; I just put together a list of movies I never get tired of watching. It is a tough determination due to the vast genres there are but I'm just going to make one comprehensive list for your reading pleasure.

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10. "O"- Lets kick this list with a movie you have probably never seen. I come to this conclusion based on the many times I get blank looks when I ask a person, "Have you ever seen the movie, 'O'?" The movie is a modern twist on Shakespeare's, Othello, which is set in a high school and centered around basketball player Odin. It is all about jealousy, love, and betrayal-all the workings of a great movie. The ending makes me tear up every time and I highly encourage that you check it out.
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9. "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington"- Yet another movie I'm sure you have never heard of or will care to watch after reading this. I first came across this movie in my 12th grade Participation in Government class when the topic of discussion was government corruption. The movie is a Jimmy Stewart classic that follows a freshman, naive man that is appointed to fill a vacancy in the US Senate. He is bullied by a fellow Senator to vote "Yes" on a bill that is corrupt and filled with earmarks that hurt the very land he is from. I believe our country would benefit from a mandatory screening to all elected officials in the Unites States.
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8. "American Beauty"- Ahhh, I remember this was the first movie I watched as a young adult that had nudity (my parents were strict about the movies I watched-haha). Besides the two topless scenes, I must say that there are some extreme elements of reality that make it easy to relate to. For instance, we all know the creepy guy that video tapes everything, we all know the closet homosexual that portrays an image of homophobia, and we all know the school-aged girl who had a crush on a dad. I also have another theory as to why "American Beauty" is great: Anything that is referenced in "Family Guy" must be great (see below).


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7. "Full Metal Jacket"- I absolutely love movies about the military and nothing captures the raw reality of basic training like Full Metal Jacket does. Of course there are a lot of dramatics used to enhance the pleasure of the viewers, but this movie is easily Stanley Kubrick's best. FACT: I once watched this movie 4 times in one weekend because it was played over and over on AMC.
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6. "Fight Club"- In my opinion, this was one of the smartest films ever written. The multiple personalities of Tyler (which you don't realize until the end) that force him to create a gang of Fight Club members that carry out "Project Mayhem" in the most amazing of fashions. Edward Norton, who plays Tyler, successfully found a way to vent male aggression. Who wants to start a fight cub?
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5. "Top Gun"- I have expressed in previous BLOGS about how I cannot stand when people make assumptions that Top Gun has homosexual tendencies. I have compiled a comprehensive analysis of around twelve reasons why it's not-I will not post it on here because it it horrifyingly offensive to at least 2 races, the female gender, and the GLTB community. Off of that topic, Top Gun is an amazing story of friendship and is a non-stop thriller that I can watch over and over again.
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4. "The Godfather Trilogy"- I have added the entire trilogy to this because while I think Part I is the best, followed by Part III, and finally Part II, I have to concede that they all wouldn't be as good if they didn't have the entire trilogy to back it up. My favorite theme of the movie is family; as you know I'm a family man and I can respect the kind loyalty, no matter the level of felonies being committed, that the Corleone family has as they fight their rightful place as the top mafia family.
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3. "Casino"- The top three were the hardest to position because they are the three best movies ever made. If you dare to disagree, I'll strangle you. The first time I saw Casino, admittedly, I hated it. Mind you, I was ten years old and I didn't know what the hell was going on. The next time I watched it, I was a fourteen year old home sick from school and I have been hooked ever since. The plot is simple, a mob oriented man, played by Robert De Niro, is given a casino to manage (without the proper permits) and funnels money back to his bosses. He deals with a drug addicted wife, a best friend who sleeps with said wife, and the gaming commission hammering down on his illegal activities all while maintaining his Robert De Niro bad assness (not a word).
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2. "Saving Private Ryan"- Full Metal Jacket was mentioned earlier, but I have to say that it doesn't even deserve to be on the same list as SPR. Tom Hanks plays his role as a Captain in the Army, tasked out to find Pvt. James Francis Ryan who had all his brothers KIA after the drop into Normandy, like the pro he is. His laid back demeanor is a testament to his troop's loyalty as they follow him into a mission none of them ever wanted to take part in. I need to watch this again, it's been too long.
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1. "The Shawshank Redemption"- This is the one movie I will watch over and over again until my eyes bleed from the lack of sleep and my body decomposes due to lack of nutrition. Where do I even begin? Let me quote IMDb's description: "Two imprisoned men bond over a number of years, finding solace and eventual redemption through acts of common decency." This is a perfect representation of what this film is all about. Get past the fact that most of the other men in the prison were guilty of a crime; "acts of common decency" is where it's at. Think about the friendship that Andy and Red developed throughout the movie and think about the friendship you have with your best friend. Yeah, you suck. "Get busy living, or get busy dying."

That wraps up the first edition of "What Dave Loves" so I hope you enjoyed it. If you didn't, then I offer no apologies, instead if you are a Windows user, I offer you the option of clicking the red X at the top right hand corner of your screen, if you are a Mac user, I probably don't like you anyways. But seriously, I probably don't.

Goodnight, Readers